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European pilots flying under FAA certificates and with N-registered aircraft have a couple of months of breathing room in which to press their case against proposed rule changes they believe will seriously damage general aviation in Europe. A conciliation committee between the European Union Commission and the national governments has delayed until December a decision on rule changes put forth by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The rules would have essentially eliminated the longstanding practice of thousands of pilots maintaining and operating GA aircraft under American regulations. The meeting was held in private and there are no transcripts or minutes available to the public, but the delay itself is seen as a hopeful sign.

According to Jan Brill, managing editor of Pilot und Flugzeug Magazine, indications are that the conciliation committee favors a softer stance on the issue of so-called "third country aircraft" and that the issue won't be resolved any time soon. The EASA proposal would have required pilots currently flying on FAA IFR tickets to pass the ATP-style instrument ratings in force in Europe. Aviation groups in Europe almost universally panned the proposals, saying they would have devastated GA there.

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Picture of the Week

As aviation photos go, this was the best this week but there are some great beauty shots when you click through. In the meantime, congratulations to Daniel Gillette for this very nice photo he calls Sunset Pitch-Out. The photo is copyrighted by Gillette.